Sony STR-DN1080 vs Yamaha RX-V485 review

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It makes sense comparing Sony STR-DN1080 vs Yamaha RX-V485 because they both are able to give some premium features.

Amplifier

A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Sony STR-DN1080 has 7.2 versus 5.1 for Yamaha RX-V485. Regarding power, then STR-DN1080 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 120/6 when RX-V485 has a power of 80/8, 145/6. The THD is the same and is 0.09%.

Audio features

Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 96 KHz/24-bit for STR-DN1080 and Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for the RX-V485. Both the STR-DN1080 and the RX-V485 support Bi-amping. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.

Connectivity

Both models have the ability to connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Sony STR-DN1080 has support for AirPlay, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The STR-DN1080 can work with the audio stream from TIDAL, Pandora, and the RX-V485 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM. Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. The RX-V485 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the STR-DN1080. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the RX-V485.

Extensive connections

The Sony STR-DN1080 has 6/2 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Yamaha RX-V485. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. HDMI eARC is available in each model. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The STR-DN1080 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.2, versus HDCP 2.3 in the RX-V485. Receivers do not have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.

Additional features

Each of the AV receivers from our review supports 2 Multi-room zones. The STR-DN1080 supports voice control via Google assistant, and the RX-V485 - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri. An ECO mode is only available for the RX-V485. Both STR-DN1080 and RX-V485 can be configured using the Setup assistant.

Multichannel surround

Only the STR-DN1080 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the STR-DN1080.